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C. E. WOODS. AUTOMATIC LID SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILED JULY 23. 1914.

Patenwd Aug. 15, 1916.

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lowing specification.

flE STATES PATENT orr on;

omiss on E. Icons, 035 sitrnenron'r. CONNECTICUT, AssiGNoR To AMERICAN GRiLPHo- PHGNE COMPANY,. OF BEIDGEPO-RT, OONNECTIC UT,-A CORPORATION-OF WEST VIB- orNIA.

. Be it known that l. (Lix'rox E. \Voons. a citizen of the l'nited States. and a resident of Bridgeport,Fairfield county. Connecti-' cut. have invented a new and useful Improvement .in Automatic Lid-su 'iports. whichinvei'ition fully set forth in the fol- This invention relates to supports for the hinged' 'lids or covers of boxes. trunks. and the like, in which the lid is to be swung up ward. as by one hand. and is thento be held automatically propped open as long as desired. and 'is finally to be readily lowered by one hand. -Heretofore automatic and semiautomatic devices of this character have been employed. but so far as is known they involved the use of spring-catches. or pivoted latches, or other movable mechanisms liable to get out of order.

The present invention consists broadly in providing. in addition to the ordinary propbar (pivoted at its upper end to the lid), merely a stationary and rigid guide therefor without'any other moving part.

More particularly the invention consists of providing a rigid and stationary passage or thoroughfare of substantially the shape of a capital M, in combination with a projection on the end of the prop-bar that is adapted to travel through said thoroughfare and to be held, supported in the seat provided thereby.

The invention consists further in the va rious features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The invention is capable of being enibodied in various forms, but will be best understood in connection with the acco1npanying drawings which illustrate a preferred. form thereofas applied to the cabinet of a talking-machine.

In these drawings Figure 1 is. a vert cal section through a talking-machine cabinet showing a side elevation; of the preferred form of the new automatic lidsi.ipport; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal view thereof partly broken away through the line II-IT. of Fig. 1. The full lines in Fig. 1 represent the position of the parts when the cover is closed, the open position being indicated by the broken lines.

1 represents a slotted plate shown as secured tothe platform of the talkinganaclnne Specification of Letters Ifatent.

'cated in Fig. 2.

AUTOMATIC LID-SUPPORT.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application filed July 23, 1914. Serial No. 852,656.

cabinet; although it r'night be secured to the top edge, of an ordinary box, trunk or chest. From plate 1 depends the flange" plate 2. parallel to the slot and located a slight distance inward therefrom, as indi- On the 'side adjacent the slot are the two guide-plates 3 and 4. Prcf erably. the flange-plate is made integral with the main plate 1, and the two guideplates riveted to the flange-plate; but all these plates may be mace integral if desired.

'In the adjacent edge of the upper guideplate are the recesses 9 and 10, defining be tween them the projection 11, correspond.- ing conversely to the projections and depression in the lower guide-plate; and the lower portion of this upper guide-plate is continued in the curved projection 12, that 61(- tends beneath the projection '8. Between the adjacent edges of these two guide-plates is thus defined a continuous passageway or thoroughfare, substantially the shape of a capital M, that comprises the seat 7. 'Upon the'hinged lid or cover of the cabinet is secured a plate 13, carrying a pivot 14 upon which swings the rigid prop-bar 15.. This bar extends through the slot in the main guide-plate, and at its lower end carries the stud or projection 16 that is adapted to pass through the thoroughfare referred to.

The operation of the device is obvious.

TV hen the lid is being raised from the closed position, it is seen that the pivot (14) is be-f ing carried toward the hinged-side of the cabinet, so that gravity causes the lower end of prop 15 toswing toward the same direction,-or rearwardly. In consequence, the projection 16 strikes against the cam-surface presented by the exposed lower edge of the plate or plates, and then isdrawn upward and enters into the forward end of its passageway until its further upward passage is blocked 1n the recess 9, whereupon the lid can be raised no higher; and thereupon, on

'freely out through its means to brin the is claimed is gravity) enters the recess 10 (which blocks its flirther upward. movement), whereupon thelid-can be lowered,proj'ection 16 passing 15 dropping back-to the original position indicated .by full'lines. The course of the rojection' 16 is manifest' The curving extension of the lowerend of guide-plate 3, below the other guide-plate; prevents the projection from entering the rear end of its thoroughfare (where there would .be' no, project onfautomatieally 1 into its seat while the inclined lower edge of the plate 4 guides the projection up into the outer entrance of the thoroughfare.

The invention hasv thus been described fully, with considerable detail, but only for the sake of olearness, since it is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement of parts, but may be embodied in various forms. U p Having thus described the invention, what An automatic prop for the hinged lid of flange-plate depending; thoroughfare, a'ndbar a box or 'thelike, mis ing f a' slotted plate secured-to the top;: 'of-f such box, a

herefrom, a lower guide-plate secured to thei side :of "said flange-plate and having aseaQon-theupper edge thereof, an upper guide late secured on'the same side of said flange pjlate and: having its lower edge con-forming to the' guideplate so as to produce a substantiellyflM-shapedi pas upper edge of said lower sageway between the adjacent edges of said guide-plates, a vprop}ba r pivoted to the lid and extending through. said slot,-;and .a projectionon the lower end of said bar adapted; to pass through said passageway and to rest in said Tseat.

scribing witnesses.

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